Spotlight: State of emergency declared in southern U.S. states to deal with severe weather

A state of emergency has been declared in some southern U.S. states on Sunday after severe weather, including tornadoes, has been sweeping through the states since Saturday night and killed more than 40 people.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott made disaster declarations on Sunday for four counties -- Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and Ellis -- and warned that the number of victims could rise, according to local media reports.

"Texas is doing everything we can to help you piece your lives back together and deal with the challenges you are facing right now," he said, adding the Lone Star state is still facing rain and the possibility for more tornadoes.

Eleven people died in the state after several tornadoes were reported in the Dallas area, causing substantial damage to homes and buildings and sending dozens to the hospital.

Most of the deaths being reported were caused by accidents as tornadoes blew the vehicles the victims were riding in off highways during the storms.

Powerful wind of up to 300 km per hour was recorded for the city of Garland.

Weather service officials said a tornado of that strength is very rare in a metropolitan area. In addition, powerful tornadoes usually hit in spring and summer but occur less frequently in winter.

In neighboring New Mexico state, Governor Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency on Sunday as people in the state dealt with the fallout of a crippling weekend snowstorm.

The hard-hitting storm system brought wind gusts of up to 80 km per hour and created snowdrifts in the 1.8- to 2.4-meter range in the eastern and southern portion of New Mexico.

New Mexico state troopers had responded to about 250 vehicular accidents in the previous 24 hours and crews were working around the clock on clearing roads and conducting any needed search-and-rescue operations.

In Oklahoma, Governor Mary Fallin also proclaimed a state of emergency as there were blizzards and an ice storm warning out west and flood warnings in the east.

Eight storm-related injuries were reported in the state where about 60,000 homes and businesses were without power.

In Arkansas, a tornado touched down in the city of Bearden, about 128 km from the state capital of Little Rock, tearing roofs off buildings and uprooting trees.

Ouachita County Sheriff David Norwood told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper that a twister appeared to have reached in a four-block area in the county. He said the storm took roofs off buildings, uprooted trees and shattered storefront windows.

In Missouri state, Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency because of widespread flooding.

Nixon's office said in a release Sunday that weekend flooding has led to eight deaths, dozens of water rescues and evacuations. More flooding is expected while river levels continue rising around the state.

Nixon says the state's emergency plan has been activated, allowing state agencies to coordinate with local authorities to provide emergency services.

Earlier, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant had declared a state of emergency for affected areas in the state after confirming seven deaths from the severe weather that began moving through the state early Wednesday morning

"The storms caused widespread damage to houses, mobile homes and public structures," the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said in a statement. "More than 1,400 power outages have been reported as of Thursday morning, and weather-related debris forced numerous road closures in the affected counties."

MEMA also confirmed at least 40 injuries in the state.

In Tennessee, the year-end storms killed at least three -- a 22-year-old man in Rhea County and a 70-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman in Perry County.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said the state will remain at a Level III State of Emergency "due to the potential for more severe weather and heavy rain coming into the state." Endi